NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (June 23, 2017) – Vineyard Wind, an offshore wind energy developer vying to build the first utility-scale project off the coast of Massachusetts, will host a ribbon cutting and office warming reception at its facility on 700 Pleasant Street in New Bedford.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, along with State Representatives Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford), Pat Haddad (D-Somerset), Robert Koczera (D-New Bedford) and Paul Schmid (D-Westport) will join Vineyard Wind to cut the ribbon for the office.

“We’re thrilled so many of our local leaders will join us to celebrate our new office opening,” said Erich Stephens, CEO of Vineyard Wind. “Offshore wind will bring real economic opportunity to this region, and Mayor Mitchell and the members of our legislature recognize how it can benefit New Bedford and the South Coast. We’re excited to be part of this community.”

Who: Mayor Jon Mitchell

Rep. Antonio Cabral (D-New Bedford)

Rep. Pat Haddad (D-Somerset)

Rep. Robert Koczera (D-New Bedford)

Rep. Paul Schmid (D-Westport)

When: June 29, 4 to 7 p.m.

Where: 700 Pleasant Street, Suite 510, New Bedford

Vineyard Wind is one of three companies that has acquired lease rights to build wind projects off the coast of Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind’s project area is about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Last summer, Massachusetts required utilities to procure 1,600 megawatts (MW) of clean, offshore wind energy within the next decade. When the 1,600 MW of generation capacity are completed, they will generate enough clean, homegrown energy to power the equivalent of more than 750,000 Massachusetts homes every year.

Vineyard Wind, a portfolio company of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Avangrid Renewables, is an offshore wind development company, based in New Bedford, Mass., that is seeking to build the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the US.